Selected Student Evaluation Comments
listed by semester and course
Summer 2006
Econ 301 –
Intermediate Microeconomics
- Great enthusiasm
- Loved the energy in the class! Made it really fun to learn more econ. I also enjoyed the ways you tried to help us
remember things like when you danced on the mountain! Thanks, hope to take more of your classes.
- Overall, I enjoyed the class a lot and thought that Mike
made it fun and related it to real life situations. I was nervous to take this class but he
explained the material well.
- I thoroughly enjoyed the course and instructor.
- I enjoyed your lectures, you keep them very informative
and easy to follow along with.
- I was very impressed by his teaching and style. I think USD made a great decision in hiring
him.
Fall 2006
Econ 202 – Principles
of Macroeconomics (2 sections)
- Allgrunn is very understanding and worked well with the
students. He was in his office and
willing to help us out when we needed.
- I appreciated your enthusiasm about Economics – class and
lecture was enjoyable. I attended most
lectures and did a majority of the coursework, and even with a substantial
amount of studying and effort, found the tests to be extremely difficult.
- Interactive activities were good, keep doing them.
- Very understanding and he did a good job for it being his
first time. Very open to how we felt
about exams and assignments.
- Great teaching.
- Great job!
Spring 2007
Econ 201 – Principles
of Microeconomics
- I love this class, mostly the hilarious bad Econ jokes.
- I really enjoyed this class. It was probably my favorite of the
semester. I thought that the [online] homework
problems were a huge help. You did a
good job breaking down the material to make it more easily understood.
- Good use of scenarios and discussions about political
topics like minimum wage and rent control.
- Very good use of real life situations.
- Used good examples during lectures to help us understand
material.
- I enjoyed the experiments.
- Enjoyed the experiments in class, and how you used
real-life situations in every lecture kept me interested.
- I took this class for a while last semester with [another
professor] and you taught substantially better.
- Very good teacher, but tests were very hard.
- Professor Allgrunn is great! He uses really good analogies and is more
than willing to help students. I enjoyed
coming to class!
-Good class.
Econ 421/521 –
Econometrics
- Excellent course.
- Dr. Allgrunn is a truly gifted and accomplished
professor. His mastery of the subject
matter and ability to effectively communicate ideas is beyond what one could
expect of a 20 year veteran professor.
His use of humor to not only draw in students but to ensure they learn
the material more effectively is astounding.
It’s hard to believe he was teaching this course for the first time.
Econ 482/582 – Labor
Economics
- Professor Allgrunn is outstanding. This is the second course I have taken with
him as the instructor. I would gladly take
every course he offers. His lectures are
as entertaining and interesting as they are informative.
- Dr. Allgrunn is an excellent instructor who made this
class very interesting and very applicable to the real world. He was always available for questions whether
you needed help understanding the material or if you wanted a more in-depth
look at a topic. He also did a great job
of allowing everyone to put in their respectful 2 cents which sparked some
fantastic class discussions.
- Dr. Allgrunn is an excellent professor who is dynamic in
the classroom and makes class very enjoyable.
The vivid examples along with some humor made learning the
subject matter easier and more enjoyable.
- I like it that you write the notes in class on the board
because it keeps me following along better than if you were to use
powerpoints. I liked doing the short
papers to relate to real life the concepts we learned in class.
- Ridiculously awesome job!
- The articles were a great idea, got me to read and learn
about things and subjects I never otherwise would have. Keep telling jokes and having fun at your
job, it shows and then we have more fun as well as learn more.
- Dr. Allgrunn is an excitingly energetic economist with an
incredible sense of humor that not only draws students in but enables them to
learn the material more effectively. His
own research complements the info in the test and his competency in the subject
matter makes him an excellent economist and professor.
Fall 2007
Econ 202 – Principles
of Macroeconomics (2 sections)
- The 1s and 2s really don’t pertain to this course. You’re an awesome teacher that makes
economics fun.
- You do a great job of getting the information across –
like that time you talked about monkeys and the PPF – awesome.
- Your tests make me tremble in agony (figuratively, but not
really).
- The best part of the lectures were when you talked about
“Hot Pockets”.
- Professor Allgrunn is a great instructor and always makes
Econ fun. I really enjoy [the online
homework] because of the timely feedback and interactive nature of the
program. I enjoyed the jokes that kept
our attention and the online experiments were also enjoyable.
- Tricky test questions.
You are very willing to help and that is greatly appreciated.
- Mike Allgrunn is pretty much THE BALLS! (A good thing.) I hate Economics but Mr. Allgrunn made it
exciting for everyone. He used a great
sense of humor to keep the class on their toes.
We should have learned more about Hoogshanomics.
- If anyone complains about the class they are idiots. I don’t like economics but Mike Allgrunn is
the only one worth taking it from. Mike
Allgrunn is ECON. He pretty much knows
all there is to know about Economics. I
want to start “MA Anonymous”; a group
dedicated to Mike Allgrunn.
- I loved the lecture style.
It was very easy to focus on and follow the lecture. Monkeys Rock!
- I like it when you quickly review the stuff we went over
previously. It really helps me put
things together better.
- The class was interesting.
Your stories made it very entertaining.
The tests were extremely hard, but it was taught well.
- The tests in this class were harder than most tests.
- I really enjoy how you teach – the explaining as you write
information on the board really helped me learn throughout micro and macro.
- Excellent pace.
Exceptional use of monkeys.
- I liked the way you lecture and wrote on the board
everyday. I would have liked powerpoints
too, but I think it works better when you are, in a way, doing it with us as we
write it down.
- You are a million times better than my Econ 201
professor. Seriously. No joke.
When you related things to something other than political or
governmental issues, it was a lot easier to understand. Like toes and the monkeys!!
- The most prominent thing is his stimulating nature of
teaching. We (I) never felt bored in
class. It was very enjoyable to have his
class. Everything was explained clearly and neatly and things were easy to
grasp. There was a whole lot of variety,
too.
- I took this class last semester and this semester it went
ten times better. Very interesting the
way Professor Allgrunn presents things.
Especially since ECON is such a dry subject, he made it exciting with
examples.
- Lectures were easy to understand and were quite
entertaining – not boring at all (especially the lecture with the
monkeys). Using [the online homework]
really helps to understand and review concepts.
This class really encouraged me to look at economics as something I may
want to study in the future.
- Huge improvement from last semester in Econ 201. Last year you were a mega-nerd that was
boring, this year you are a mega-nerd that is hilarious and not boring. [The online homework] was really hard this
semester. Good Job!
- I liked the lecture style.
I think the number and use of powerpoints was adequate. I liked how you used your unique sense of
humor to add to the lessons. You do a
good job of explaining topics and answering questions. I really enjoyed your class.
- The professor is handsome!
I like this class because he’s interesting and attractive. Also the experiments help me improve a lot.
IDEA 406 – Wealth and
Justice Capstone
- Professor Allgrunn did an extremely good job!
- Professor Allgrunn is an excellent professor.
- Mr. Allgrunn brings a fresh breath of optimism to USD and
the B-School. I appreciate the fact that
he combines his personal experiences to help students gain knowledge of
economics and the field of Wealth and Justice.
Thank you for an enjoyable experience.
- I like that you taught basic W&J concepts and still
got the point across.
Spring 2008
ECON 201 – Principles
of Microeconomics (2 sections)
- This was perhaps my favorite lecture course because
Professor Allgrunn found a way to teach the same ideas together but keep it
fresh and my attention the whole time.
Also, he answered and e-mailed in 2 minutes one time (that’s
skill). Also, he opened my mind to the
market of fun things.
- Awesome class.
- I enjoyed this course.
The tests are very difficult.
- The ‘games’ were pretty good for real life
demonstration.
- The tests were very challenging and I feel I am a
good student who studied hard and rarely missed class.
- I really liked the online experiments. And your comments about the markets for Mac
and Cheese and Drugs lightened up the class.
- Dr. Allgrunn is a great demanding but fair instructor, and
kind of humorous too.
- I thought you did a really good job. I think the stories to help and sometimes
they did help me understand the subject.
I also think that you have a great energy and keep being willing to work
with the students and don’t give up on anybody.
- The real life examples and situations with crystal meth
made the course exciting/interesting.
Overall, though, I feel that I put forth a lot more effort than my grade
may show.
- I think you kept class enthusiastic.
- I really liked your stories and how you encourage us to
take part in the class by having us do a short exercise at the beginning of
class. Also, I really liked how you use real
life situations to explain some of the concepts
- Professor Allgrunn did a good job of explaining the
material so I could easily understand. I
liked using [homework] online, because it allowed me to stay on top of my
homework and practice in the areas I struggled in.
- It’s been a great course.
Allgrunn is a great teacher and he makes this class fun and his teaching
style helps make it easier.
- I like your teaching style, and I like the little jokes
you throw in every now and then. If not
everyone laughs, they are still funny.
- Professor Allgrunn explains microecon very well. I enjoyed this class.
- Professor Allgrunn related the material very well in
class. His quirky humor lightened the
class up and made it enjoyable. I
sincerely enjoyed this class.
- I really enjoyed your teaching style for such a boring
topic. You are a very good teacher and I
have told numerous others people to try and take either micro and/or macro with
you.
- I loved how you made examples that fit real life to
further our understanding of the topic.
Love the stories too!
Econ 421/521 –
Econometrics
- The addition of STATA to the course has been extremely
valuable in allowing us to apply what we learn in the class. The Woolridge text was comprehensive yet easy
to read. It provided many useful
examples that explain and complement the key terms in each chapter. The regular homework problems were good for
understanding the main ideas, but the computer problems were better for
applying the concepts.
- Great class – I learned a lot! Dr. Allgrunn made the class very interesting.
- I give our homework and lectures very high marks. It was because of these that I learned
everything. STATA was also very helpful
and a good tool for running regressions.
- This was by far my favorite class this semester. I was very impressed with the instructor’s
ability to make the subject matter accessible.
While the text was ok, most of what I learned came for the
lectures.
- You have a great presentation style, don’t lose your
enthusiasm as you get older.
Good class Dr. Allgrunn.
Your lectures were great and you should keep the humor coming. I really enjoyed doing the project and liked
being able to use STATA.
- Overall, a really good course. I thought there was a pretty good balance
between theory (book) and practice. For
the most part we covered interesting material and the instructor was always
enthusiastic and engaging.
Summer 2008
ECON 201 – Principles
of Microeconomics
- Was a lot of material to cover in 16 days.
- Thank You!
- I like the pace at which you cover the materials.
- I thought the course was harder than average but you did a
good job teaching. Very helpful all the
questions you answered.
Fall 2008
Econ 202 – Principles
of Macroeconomics (2 sections)
- Great job! Can’t
wait to take labor economics with you in the future. I am actually interested in economics now.
- I’m glad I took ECON 201 and 202 with Professor
Allgrunn. He did a very good job
teaching me a subject I had never had before; made it fun and interesting. Econ is one of the best courses I have taken
at USD.
- Keep up the artistic drawings.
- Professor Allgrunn took the difficult subject matter of
Macroeconomics and made it easy to understand.
He also used many different resources to make sure we understood the
subject matter and would be able to excel in the course.
- I enjoyed this class and I attribute that to Professor
Allgrunn. He taught in an interesting
and relevant way. His knowledge was
evident, but he did not teach above the class to prove himself. This is definitely a class that I will miss
attending.
- Professor Allgrunn always came to class prepared and could
always stimulate interest from students.
He has an excellent personality and a true passion for economics. Having Professor Allgrunn made this class my
favorite to attend this semester.
- Great teacher. I
liked [the online homework]. It’s really
easy to learn the material when you can see what you did wrong. I like that we go over the tests and review
for the tests are really helpful.
- Great course!
Monkeys and other examples made me absorb the material!
- Professor Allgrunn makes class fun and interesting so that
going to class isn’t torture!
- I like this class and 201.
I wish I was not done taking classes with this professor.
- Enjoy your positive attitude and energy during class! Fun and smart teacher.
- Excellent teacher.
He taught the material very well and used easy-to-understand examples so
the students could relate to it. I think
his teaching method had a lot to do with how well I did in the course.
- Great teacher, good use of experiments, very funny and a
fun class.
- I really enjoyed this class. Real life situations made the subject matter
easier to understand.
- Coming to your class makes me feel like I just took a hit
of ecstasy and Bobo (my chimp) is holding a boom box that is blasting Rammstein
while dancing around the room. Seriously
though, I think this class is great and I plan to take more of your classes in
the future.
- I like almost everything about the class. The material can be boring at times, but you
keep my attention and focus. Allgrunn is
one of the best instructors I have ever taken a course from.
- Professor Allgrunn teaches in a way that is easy for his
students to learn from. I am now
seriously thinking about switching to an economics major. If I am going to be taking any more economics
courses, I want him to be my professor.
Econ 421/521 –
Econometrics
- I really enjoyed this course. As an Econ major I learned how to apply what
I’ve learned so far to real life situations.
- You made a tough course very manageable and fun.
- Give him tenure and a raise.
- In my experience, Dr. Allgrunn is one of the best
professors at USD.
- You did an excellent job of making the material easy to
understand and summarized the key points well.
- I like how the examples used in class made subject matter
easier to understand and relate to as well as remember.
- Absolutely fantastic.
- Allgrunn is an awesome professor. Great class!
- You picked out what was important to know for our futures
and concentrated on it. Also, the really
random analogies and jokes made class better.
- Considering the difficulty of the subject matter, I feel
that Professor Allgrunn graded very fairly and put materials in terms that were
easier to interpret and understand.
Spring 2009
ECON 201 – Principles
of Microeconomics
- Mr. Allgrunn, I really enjoyed Micro this semester. I actually had fun and learned during class. You showed you actually cared about what you
taught and had fun doing it. I believe I
am in Macro with you as well and I recommend you to several of my friends. Thanks for a fun semester!
- I really enjoyed the stories and examples in class related
to the ideas of the coursework. Though
humorous, it created and stimulated an understanding of the concept it was
pertaining to.
- You made this the most interesting class I have taken
here. Thank you for being hilarious
almost every single class. The subject
was hard for me but totally work through it as best as I could. I look forward to taking macro with you next
year.
- Totally awesome class dude!
- I’ve had a lot of fun coming to class every day and
listening to your stories. I think it
made it easier for me to understand the course material. I am looking forward to Macro with you in the
fall. Thank You!
- Great class! I plan
to take future business classes with Allgrunn.
- I really liked this class, I think you are a good teacher
and I plan on taking more of your classes.
Econ 482/582 – Labor
Economics
Fun, interesting class.
I learned a lot, next time just do 2 papers instead of 4.
Great instructor!
Brought the material in the book to life! Truly outstanding economics professor!
I appreciate the humor, makes class more enjoyable.
Professor Allgrunn does a great job with this course and it
was a pleasure taking it.
This was the best class of the semester. Professor was always enthusiastic and really
kept everyone’s attention. Great Course.
Fall 2009
Idea 410 – Games and
Community Capstone
- Allgrunn is my favorite professor in the B-School. He needs/deserves tenure. Actually cares for students and took time to
get to know them by name. He took pride
in teaching and wants students to learn.
Allgrunn made the class very enjoyable.
Allgrunn is the Boss man, end of story.
- I learned more and gained a better perspective on life
with this course.
- Mike Allgrunn is the boss.
Most people call him the “pit boss”.
Excellent teacher, definitely finds a way to make a class
interesting. I really learned a lot
about game theory. It was a nice change
from powerpoint classes in which students and professors just read off the
board.
- Mike Allgrunn deserves some serious tenure. He is my hero.
- I liked all the writing assignments and the course
topic. Allgrunn is a very animated
teacher and adds a lot to the course. I
liked the real-life examples. I liked
the service activity options.
- Excellent professor!
- I enjoyed taking this course from Mike. He is a good teacher and made this course
exciting!
Spring 2010
ECON 201 – Principles
of Microeconomics (2 sections)
- This subject is extremely difficult. Thanks for all the help out of class – never
was I turned away for help.
- Enjoyed this class and the way you tangent. I am looking forward to macro.
- I thought did good job, liked the practice tests online,
liked the stories and situations on board.
Good job covering main points.
- I liked the funny stories, it helped lighten the mood and
keep us paying attention. Great
Teacher.
- Good class, you made it interesting and fun.
- An intimidating individual with the swagger of Apollo
Creed (Carl Weathers). Also has the
scariest stare down like a pissed off Tom Selleck.
- Without using “educational technology’ the course was
easier to understand and presented more realistically.
- This professor is excellent and I look forward to taking
his other courses.
- Great Teacher.
- I really enjoyed how you taught.
- Allgrunn makes class fun and interesting. I enjoyed the stories and examples that
involved weird and different products.
Thanks man, can’t wait to take another one of your classes.
- I love Allgrunn.
- I’m a music major so business classes such s this DO NOT
come easily for me. I really had to
work in this class. However, I don’t
think I would have came as close to passing this class had I not taken it from
Allgrunn. He made the class so much fun
while learning at the same time. Best
teacher I’ve had in awhile.
- Best Instructor Ever.
- Great teacher.
- Great course, Great teacher.
- Your method of teaching is creative and really helps
students to remember what is being taught.
Thanks for a great semester.
- Excellent teacher.
Made class seem more fun and easier to understand because of it.
- I did extemp in high school and would have to give
economics speeches and while this class basically taught me everything I would
say was wrong, I am very glad I learned.
Mr. Allgrunn is awesome, and I’ve heard this from all who have taken
Econ classes from him.
- HARD MATERIAL, FUN COURSE.
HILARIOUS TEACHER.
- Professor Allgrunn is a great teacher and makes class
fun. It was entertaining yet learning
was involved.
- Funny ass dude.
- I really enjoyed the experiments.
- My favorite course that I took this semester. [The online homework] is awesome because it’s
structured and kept me focused on the task at hand. Allgrunn is a great teacher, he explains
everything clearly. The jokes are corny,
but they keep things interesting, so keep ‘em rolling.
- The experiments are great and more would be nice. I think your Zany sense of humor is awesome.
- You did a very good job using real world examples which
made class time much more interesting.
This made learning the material much easier and more fun.
- Great teacher. I
would recommend Professor Allgrunn to everyone.
- Great teacher, made class more fun with his jokes and how
he approached the subject matter. Tried
taking this class before from different instructor and dropped it because I
learned nothing.
- Aplia was a great tool for homework. Great examples.
- Allgrunn was a good and creative teacher with a funny
side. By examples of Batman, I still
remember elasticity.
- Fantastic teacher.
- Great Teacher!
- The class was an amazing experience. It really caught my interest and I fell in
love with the subject material. I cannot
wait to further pursue my education in similar studies. Thanks!
Econ 421/521 – Econometrics
- Ideafest was a large pain in a certain body part, but
nonetheless, very beneficial and I’m glad I was forced to do it. Dr. Allgrunn was very helpful in guiding me
through a difficult subject matter. He
is always willing to help you with problems on an individual basis. I really enjoyed this class and feel that
I’ve gained some useful tools that can help me in my career in the future.
- 32 year ago, the clouds parted, God looked down and said
“Mike – you are my greatest creation.”
Mike went on to learn the trade of econometrics, and he has lovingly
passed it on to students this semester who are all better because of it.
- Made a difficult class very enjoyable with his odd sense
of humor. Ideafest project was a good
project, even though it was very time consuming.
- Ideafest really made me feel much more confident with my
ability to research and give oral presentations. After taking this course I feel that every
business student, not just econ students, should take this class. Allgrunn did a great job teaching this
course.
- Tough subject, good instructor.
- I would say this is the most I have ever gotten out of a
single class at USD. Learning how to use
Stata was very important to me and I stayed interested because of the real life
applications constantly referred to in class.
- Very funny and easy to follow. Took most important parts of a seemingly
unreadable text and presented them clearly.
Allgrunn, a 10-foot tall beast man who showers in Vodka, and can
impregnate a woman by pointing at her and saying “Booyah, Sally!”
- Allgrunn wins.
- Homoskedasticity is better than heteroskedasticity.
- Excellent instructor made learning fun and related it to
everyday life.
- Likes how Mike made a very dry subject interesting and
appealing.
- You are very approachable and people are always
comfortable asking questions in class.
I liked the class project and presenting at Ideafest. I really enjoyed this class, even though it
was difficult.
Summer 2010
Econ 790 – Seminar:
Labor Economics
I would have preferred a different elective than another
economics course. Mike did well. It would have been nice to choose our
elective.
I found your lecture to be entertaining, and you do a great
job of relating topics to the real world.
If I were not wrapping up my degree, I would definitely try to enroll in
another econ course with you. Thanks!
Dr. Allgrunn gave a good overview of labor economics that
will be used in a management position.
Good professor – funny, made subject matter more interesting
by giving examples.
Fall 2010
Econ 202 – Principles
of Macroeconomics (2 sections)
- I liked the online and in-class scenarios. I like the relationships he forms with
students. I trust him. I do not like economics but he does have
passion for it which was stimulating. All in all, positive learning environment
a good teacher!
- Great job, great professor.
- You make econ a fun class to come to. Thanks!
- Enjoyed the class.
You’re a great teacher.
- Awesome teacher!
Keep things fun and exciting.
It’s too bad all my teachers aren’t more like you! It’s been fun, hopefully I’ll take another
class with you before I’m done here.
- I liked how we go over the tests because it at least
helped me learn more about stuff I didn’t understand. Excellent course. Mike made this class fun and I enjoyed it
more than any other class I had. Should
switch my major to econ.
- Wear more silly hats.
- I feel you did a great job every day when teaching. You taught us the importance of the subject
clearly and concisely. Great job!
- I enjoy your ‘dumb’ stories. They make coming to class worth it.
- Great class, great instructor.
- Great teacher. Made
lectures easy to follow.
- I liked no powerpoints, it forces you to take notes.
- I really enjoyed everything about this class. I would not change a thing. I learned more in this class than any other
class this semester. It’s nice to have
professors who are actually passionate
and interested in their subject. Thanks
for the knowledge.
- Great professor!
XDIS 310 – The
Challenge: Success and Happiness
(Note: This was a team taught course, with
substantial contributions from writing fellows, speech GAs, and Library
faculty. The syllabus, assignments, course
website, course name (sigh), and class structure were developed by committee
and required to be common between courses and not at the discretion of
individual professors, so I really can’t take credit for comments on those
elements. I’ve only included comments
that pertain to the instructor contribution in particular. Like IDEA, this is
not a course students are excited about taking, or one that instructors are
eager to teach. Still, the comments on
my role in the course were generally positive.
I’m also optimistic about the improvement of the course in the future as
greater control over the course is given to the faculty teaching each section.)
- Great professors, worst class available.
- The only good thing about this class was Drs. Peterson and
Allgrunn. They made the class
worthwhile. Other than that this class was
completely pointless.
- Dear Mike, you are great.
I don’t hate you for making us take this class.
- Drs. Peterson and Allgrunn did the best they could with
what they were provided. I think they
really tried to make this course interesting, but students were far too hard on
them.
- The teachers were great with the cards they were dealt.
- Interesting discussions – really enjoyed Drs. Allgrunn
& Peterson.
- The professors were great (Walstrom, Allgrunn, and
Peterson), but the class is a complete failure.
- I loved having the class taught by Dr. Peterson and Dr.
Allgrunn, they made it more worthwhile.
